Following Her Father's Path
by JediMasterTabster
Summary: Will's father once told him it was possible to change a man's stars. Now, his 18 yr old daughter will attempt to change hers.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do Not Own A Knight's Tale. I only own Tariana and Damien.

  
  


I had been told the tales my whole life, the stories of how my father, born a peasant, became a Knight, Knighted by Prince Edward himself. My mother, the noblewoman whose heart was stolen by this gallant young Knight. And who am I? The one who lives in the shadows of my parents glorious lives. Father, who is known all over Europe, has trained me since I was young in the ways of jousting and sword-fighting. Mother never approved much of it, but she still allowed me to practice. I believe that I too, might receive the chance of becoming a Knight, as my father before me did. 

To chance it was a difficult task though, since the thought of female Knight's seemed absurd and unthought of to the ear's of nobles. But things would change, I would make sure of it.

It takes a lot of courage to take a step out into the world on your own, especially when it means your discovery could mean the death of you. But I had to do something. Father took his Knighthood at the tip of a lance, and I intend to do the same.

And so, on the day after my eighteenth birthday, I left home. Mother did not want me to go, but father understood. Not many people knew that Sir William Thatcher had a daughter, and no son, so he granted me use of the Thatcher name, since technically, it was now a line of Nobility. 

Sir Teri Thatcher I called myself. It had a nice ring to it. I turned and gave a final wave to my parents before urging my horse into a trot. 

Silverblaze was the name of my horse, and what a perfect name it was. She was as white as snow, and her mane was a greyish colour that resembled that of silver. I inherited the same shield and outfit as my father, and carried it proudly. My long brown hair had been cropped off into a boyish style, my chest bound to make me look more male.

I had laughed when I first saw my new appearance in a mirror. I looked male enough, though a very femme male I was. 

I had no Squire's to take with me, since knowledge of my actual sex from anyone else could be a dangerous thing. So off I rode, on my way to Rouen, where my first competition would take place. Geoffrey Chaucer, an old friend of father was to meet me there, patents of nobility printed out neatly. He had offered to be my herald, and I could not refuse; after all, he had done such a good job for father.

The ride was a long one, and it gave me much time to think. But I was more than grateful when I reached Rouen, longing for a nice hot bath, and a good home-cooked meal. As I rode into the French town, I looked around for a man who might be Chaucer. Glancing towards a tall grey building, a man who fit father's description was scribbling on a piece of parchment. I rode over to him, and stopped.

"Geoffrey Chaucer?" I asked.

The man looked up and smiled. "At your service... Teri Thatcher I presume?"

I nodded.

"You have your mother's eyes." he complimented me.

I smiled. Had father told him who I really was?

"I've already made arrangements for us to stay at a house near the tournament grounds. They'll be expecting us soon." He turned and began to walk ahead of me, leading the way. He paused for a moment, and looked back at me, a mischievous smile on his face. "And don't worry, I've been assured you'll have total privacy. So no need to worry about being discovered yet."


	2. Chapter 1

Geoffrey chuckled to himself as he entered Teri's room the morning of her first tournament. She was entangled in her sheets, one leg hanging off the bed, an arm hanging off the other side, her mouth hanging open, and drool slowly dripping out of it. Although most would be revolted by the site of such an unladylike action, Geoff found it incredibly comical, and it took all his strength not to burst out laughing hysterically. He walked over to her cautiously, and shook her shoulder gently. "Teri, it's morning. Time to wake up sleeping beauty."

Teri moaned quietly, and her eyes fluttered open briefly, revealing Geoff with a smug grin on his face. "Mmph!" She groaned, before rolling over to face the other direction and closed her eyes again. "Five more minutes…" she mumbled.

"Sorry kiddo," he apologized, as he walked to the end of the bed, grabbed her foot, and pulled.

"HEY!" She shrieked.

"You know Teri, you might not want to scream so loud… people may begin to suspect things when they hear a girlish scream." There was a hint of amusement in his voice, which earned him a glare from Teri. Shrugging, Geoff turned and walked to the door, then paused and looked back over his shoulder. "You have ten minutes to dress yourself. Breakfast is on the table. We leave in half an hour."

"You're kidding right?" Teri's jaw dropped open in shock. It couldn't be any earlier than 6:30 am. The tournament didn't even start until noon!

"When you have no squires to help you tack your horse, and get prepared, one must start much earlier in order to ensure everything is ready." Before Teri could respond, Geoff had closed the door and was on his way downstairs to enjoy his breakfast.

As the door closed, Teri stood, mouth hanging open, and not moving. "Unbelievable," she muttered. "First day, I'm the night, and my herald is already working me like a war horse."

A half hour later, she was standing outside the house, attempting to munch down on a piece of bread while keeping Silverblaze away from her breakfast. "Don't even think about it." She warned her horse as it tried again to steal the bread from her hand.

"Maybe if you had gotten up earlier and fed her, she wouldn't be stealing your breakfast," Geoff teased as he came out the front door. "Are you ready to go?"

Teri nodded. "All that has to be done is getting the final things ready for the joust. Armour is in the brown bag, lance is strapped on the other side of silver blaze, and sword is…" she paused a moment. "SHYTE! I nearly forgot that!" Shoving the last piece of bread in her mouth, she ran back into the house, and up the stairs to her room.

Geoff waited beside Silverblaze, stroking her mane. "You take good care of Will's girl. Carry her through this tournament to victory." He spoke quietly, as he tapped his foot impatiently. According to what her father had said, Teri was never one to be on time.

Moments later Teri emerged through the front door, sword hanging at her side in it's sheath. She gripped it's handle so tightly that her knuckles were white, as if she was afraid that if she let go, she'd somehow forget it.

"Are you sure it's a good idea for you to be entering the sword fight Teri? You're already smaller than other knight's as it is, it would be quite dangerous." There was pure concern in Geoff's voice as he watched the girl mount her horse.

"I'll be fine," she replied indignantly. "Father was the master at the sword, and he taught me all the tricks in the book." Nudging Silverblaze forward, she looked back over her shoulder. "We should be going, or we'll be late."

Geoff sighed and followed after her. The girl was crazy, just as her father had been at that age. She was also very adamant about what she wanted, and about doing her own thing, which came from her mother. He had only known the girl for less than twenty-four hours, and already this was being made clear to him.

The ride to the jousting grounds did not take much longer than twenty minutes, giving them plenty of time to sign in and find their designated preparation area. Geoff approached the men who were running the sign in, and a small smirk tugged at the corners of his mouth as he noted that one of them was the man who had disliked him when he was there with Will eighteen years previous.

The man raised his eyebrow at Geoff and snorted in disgust. "Come back again have we?"

Geoff smiled and handed over the almost real patent of nobility. Everything on it was as Prince Edward had found, but of course, the information about Teri had been slightly offered. "I would like to present Sir Teri Thatcher, son of Sir William Thatcher, Duke of Coleton."

The men looked over at Teri in surprise, and one choked on his water. "That is the son of Sir William? Seems a little scrawny wouldn't you say?" One of the men mocked.

"Sir Teri may be small in size, but his skills are large. Size does not always matter in competition."

"Very well. In which activities will Sir Teri be participating?"

Geoff took the stick they offered him and pointed to the joust and the sword. The man from the previous years handed Geoff a piece of parchment, which contained their preparation area on it. Geoff thanked them and walked over to Teri.

"That was the easy part," he grinned, mischief sparkling in his eyes. "Everything gets harder from here."

They continued on their way, Teri taking in everything in awe. Though she had been at the jousts many times as a child, when her father was still jousting, it was from a different perspective that she was looking at them now. Passing the smithies, she found herself thinking of her father's friend Kate, and the story of how they had met. Along with that thought, she found herself wishing that she could meet both Kate and Watt, the two of her father's companions whom she had not met yet. Roland and Christiana visited frequently, and had become like second parents to her over the span of her life.

Her thoughts were cut short on this topic however as they passed the practice arena, and a young man caught her eye. His shirt was off, revealing his well toned muscles, that rippled and flexed as he swung his sword. He was tall, at least 6 and a half feet, and his skin was tanned from long hours spent in the sun. Black hair hung limply around his face, soaked by the sweat of a hard work-out. His form was perfect, and Teri could not help but just stand and stare. Her heart fluttered at the sight of him, for indeed, he was the most handsome young man she had ever laid eyes on.

Geoff stopped, noticing that Teri was no longer listening to him, nor was she walking alongside him. When he turned back, he found her sitting on her horse, staring at the young man. He was about to call her over when the young man noticed her presence.

"Shouldn't you be helping your own knight prep boy, instead of watching others?" His tone of voice was filled with rudeness and disgust towards his onlooker.

"I am a Knight," she replied, her tone matching his.

Of course, it didn't not take much for any man to notice the lack of deepness in Teri's voice, and the young man decided to play on that. "How interesting. A knight who has not yet hit puberty. You shall definitely make for entertainment for the rest of us more _mature_ knights."

_And to think I found him attractive only moments before._ Her gaze turned to an icy glare. "Bugger off wanker," she growled, as she kicked her horse and flew over to where Geoff stood waiting. "What an ass." She looked down to find Geoff barely able to contain his laughter. "What?" she snapped.

Breathing deeply to regain his composure Geoff said, "It's going to start raising suspicions if they catch you staring at all the young men like that. They're either going to think you're gay, or truly a woman in disguise." As he finished, Geoff burst out into laughter.

"It's not funny!"

"I'm sorry Teri, but the way you were gawking at him was priceless. Have you found someone you fancy already?" he teased.

Teri snorted. "I did, until I heard him talk." She glanced back at the young man who had returned to practicing. "Who does he think he is?"

" Damien of Anjou, The son of Count Adhemar. That entire family has enough ego to supply all of England and then some." Geoff explained.

"Wait a second! That is Adhemar's son? The one dad and mum told me to watch out for?"

Geoff nodded.

"Oiy. Figures. I'm not even here for a day and I already manage to make an enemy with an Adhemar." Teri sighed. "I suppose it is the fate of the Thatcher's to always be enemies with Adhemar's then…"

"Well, one never knows. Things could one day change." Geoff stopped and thought for a moment. "But as it stands, I would agree. I'm not entirely sure I would want that family as either friend or ally anyways."

Teri laughed. "It's no wonder dad kept you around Geoff. I'm sure you could brighten anyone's day."

"I do try, M'lady" he added with a wink. "Now, if you don't mind, I need to go see a man about a dog."

Remembering the tales of Geoff's gambling problems, Teri stopped him. "You're not going to get yourself in trouble gambling are you?"

It was Geoff's turn to respond with a laugh. "Don't worry. I'm simply going to scout out your opponents. I think I've learned my lesson about gambling many years ago." He winked at her again, then disappeared into the crowded market.

Teri found her way to the tent area, and as she passed through, in search for her spot, she could here the other Knight's laughing at the sight of her, and mocking her. Ignoring them, she continued to where her tents were to be set up, and set to work. By the time Geoff returned, the tents had been pitched, and Teri was cooking their midday meal.

"I've got some good news, and some bad news," he said as he sat on a log beside her. "The good news is, none of your scheduled jousts or sword fights are against Damien. The bad news is, he's rumoured to be the best in both areas, meaning if you fair as well as we intend you will, you will have to face him near the end."

Teri's expression did not change as Geoff passed along what he had found. She simply shrugged and continued cooking. "Then we have as much time as needed to study his technique and figure out how to defeat him."

* * *

_A/N: Sorry it took so long to actually begin the story. Though I had an idea of what I wanted to do in mind when I wrote the prologue, I had not yet developed the plot. I finally however, have the plot and storyline, and will be attempting to update as often as possible! Thanks for all the reviews!_

**_Carr Carr: _Oh, I know, my dear Padewan that you are going to love the fun with Teri. Especially after the look that came into your eyes when I first described what Damien would look like to you. And of course it sounds like a fairy tale you ding bat, anything that even mentions Heath Ledger automatically becomes a fairy tale. Except of course for the fact that his girlfriend is pregnant… and it's the girl who used to play on Dawson's Creek… LUCKY JERK!**

**_Iridecent Goddess:_ Well, I doubt anything I write could ever turn out as great as the movie, but I will do my best to try. Thanks for the review!**

**_Queen's Own Fool:_ I am glad you like it, I'm sorry the update wasn't ASAP though :(.**

**_Wannabehobbit:_ Of course the first chapter was short, it was only a prologue, a hook. And it did exactly what it needed, MUAHAHAHA! It is always an honour to have you review my stories :). And don't worry, as the story goes on, you will begin to find out more about Teri's past, her life growing up, and so on. :)**

**_Jesseh The Sexeh: _I'm glad you're excited! Hope you continue to enjoy it.**

**_Relaen: _Of course Chaucer is in there. He is the greatest character in the entire movie. I'd have to shoot myself ten times over if I didn't put him in :).**

**_Lady LifeCharm:_ I think I am more proud from the reviews I have received, but, I am proud of my idea. Of course, unfortunately, since I have taken so long to update, my story is no longer the only one of it's kind under the Knight's Tale section cries**

**_Seascribe:_ Thank you. Only time will tell where the romance will lie. I have a few different ideas… I guess you'll just have to keep reading to find out!**

**_Mithralas:_ I hope you continue to read it. And don't worry, her struggles will be.. quite interesting. **

**_Harry Hippie:_ Continued as asked ;)**

**_Butterflykisses26:_ Well thank you for the praising review. I'm hoping that once I get to college, I'll have a bit more time to update all my stories, as well as my writing will improve vastly, since I am in a Journalism program. 4 more months!**


	3. Chapter 2

The tournament flew by much quicker than Teri had thought it would. In the sword, she did not fare as well as she had hoped, lasting only for the first three rounds. Still, for a girl of her size facing the opponents that she did, she surprised many of the competitors, and earned herself many fans. Geoff for the most part, kept his speeches fairly accurate, not delving as deeply into fictional tales as he had for Will.

In the joust however, Teri was an unstoppable force. A trait she had developed early on in life, due to attending many of her father's tournaments, was the ability to quickly pick up on the techniques of other knights. She spent nearly all her free time studying each and every opponent she would have to face. This gave her an advantage over them, for they knew nothing of her attack sequences. And each battle she won with flawless victories.

Now, the final battle approached; the match against Sir Damien Adhemar. For the most part, Teri had avoided him at all costs, but a few times their paths had crossed. Neither was courteous to the other, and it was no secret to all the competitors that Adhemar and Thatcher had fast become enemies, following the footsteps of their fathers.

Half an hour before the joust found Teri working ferociously to tack her horse and make sure all her gear was in check. "I'm not going to let him win this," she muttered, checking over her breastplate. As she ran her fingers along the smooth metal, she frowned as she discovered a hairline crack on the lower right side. "Shyte." She threw the armour down in frustration. "Well, there's no point in trying to get fixed now. I'll just have to hope to God that Adhemar doesn't hit there."

Sitting down on a log, she put her head in her hands. It bewildered her how stressful one match could be. Every moment she could, she had spent studying Damien's technique, trying to find a pattern, or some regularity, but she could find none. His attacks were as unpredictable as her own; he acted purely on impulse, reflex, and judgment.

Her head shot up at the sound of approaching footsteps. As she saw Geoff standing beside Silverblaze she sighed with relief.

"Are you ready for your final joust, Sir Teri?" His usual smirk itched at the corner of his mouth, and Teri couldn't help but smile broadly. If the man had been at least fifteen years younger, she would have desperately tried to convince him to court her.

"As ready as I could ever be." She picked up the breastplate and stood to her feet, then entered the tent. When she was fully armoured, she came back out and mounted Silverblaze. "Shall be off to face my inevitable death then?"

"Now that's the kind of attitude that will lose the battle." Geoff patted her on the leg. "Don't worry, you're better than Adhemar. Just think clearly, pay attention, and you'll do fine."

Teri took a deep breath and nodded. "Well, what are we waiting for?" With a grim smile, she led the way to the arena.

The jousting arena was already packed when they arrived; fans cheering wildly as they waited for the joust to begin. Banners were flying in the cool breeze, flags being waved around, and people screaming the name of their favourite knight. The fans were about fifty-fifty it seemed, half in support of Teri, the other half for Damien. The smell of beer and pork filled the air, and Teri paused for a moment to think on childhood memories.

"Come on Teri, the joust starts soon," Geoff interrupted, taking the reins and leading Teri to her end of the arena.

Teri could see Damien already waiting at the other end, his black armour shimmering in the sunlight. She shifted uncomfortably, and looked down at her own armour; grey and worn, its dull shade attracting the heat of the sun more than it was repelling it.

The signal was given for the heralds to begin their introductions, and Geoff smiled at Teri encouragingly before walking to the centre. He was met there by Damien's herald, an amateur by his appearance. Geoff grinned cockily at the young man then, bowed. "Would you care for first shots lad?"

The young man glared at Geoff, took a deep breath. "My Lords and ladies, today I present to you a man worthy of legend himself. A man who takes after the best there ever was. He was born and raised a knight, a man of both honour and dignity. It is my pleasure to present to you Sir Damien Adhemar, future Count of Anjou!"

Applause and loud cheers broke out from the Adhemar fans, and the nobles nodded their heads in approval. The herald shot Geoff a proud look before bowing and stepping aside.

Geoff shook his head. 'Poor lad, has no idea he is about to be hammered into the ground.' Jumping up onto the railing, he took a wild bow before speaking. "My Lords, my ladies, my dear people! Today, I bring before you a young man who is not only worthy of legend, but walks straight out of the books of legend. A man who knew the ways of the lance while he was in his mother's womb, and learned the ways of the sword even before he could walk. He rides with the speed of a dragon, and fights with the grace of angels. It is with my deepest honours and pleasure, that I present to you the son of the legendary Duke William Thatcher; SIR TERI THATCHER!" His grin widened as he finished his speech, and he noted with pleasure the look of shock that lined the face of the young herald beside him. The stadium thundered with the roar of voices cheering and shouting in the stands. Taking a final bow, Geoff jumped off the rail, and patted the astounded man on the back. "Don't worry lad, perhaps with some practice you might become at the least, half as good." Before he could respond Geoff bounded towards Teri.

"Well, I can certainly see why father kept you around for so long," Teri said, unable to hide her grin of approval.

"I'm glad you liked it," Geoff said as he handed her the lance. "Now go out there and prove to them everything I just said was true."

Teri nodded and pulled her helmet over her head. She breathed in heavily as she waited for the signal to begin. The white flag flashed, and with a shout, she urged her horse into a steady gallop. Her eyes never moved from Adhemar as his figure flew toward her. He raised his lance, and she followed suite. The battle was on. She watched closely as he aimed towards her left side. He was going to take the nearest shot. Positioning herself so that she could shift easily in the saddle, she waited until the precise moment that Damien tried to strike, shifted towards the right, and rammed her lance into his right shoulder.

Damien jolted backwards from the strike, and for a moment, looked as if he might fly off his horse. He managed to recover quickly however, and urged his own horse faster to turn around for the next attack. He rounded the fence and was surprised to see Teri already heading straight for him, lance prepared to attack. He raised his lance, this time aiming for Teri's head. He was determined to win this.

By this point however, Teri's determination had overcome any feelings of doubt or hesitation. She decided to go in low and fast, take him by surprise. She wasn't sure where his attack was heading, but if she beat him to the attack, she wouldn't need to worry about that. When she was close enough, she ducked down on her horse and thrust the lance forward with all the force she could muster. The lance caught him square in the chest, and he let out a yell of surprise as he was thrown backwards off his horse.

Relief flooded through the girl as she returned to the lists where Geoff was waiting for her, his face revealing the same excitement she could feel bubbling up inside her. She dismounted and threw her arms around Geoff. "I did it! I can't believe I did it!"

Geoff hugged her back, then released her and stepped back, a goofy grin spreading across his face. "I bet he's not too pleased at the loss," Geoff said, pointing towards Damien who had stood to his feet and was kicking the sound around in frustration.

Teri laughed. "I guess not."

The awards ceremony followed immediately after the joust, and Teri grinned proudly as the award for tournament champion was presented to her.

Damien stood watching with his herald from the lists. "There's something strange about that man Matthew." His face was thoughtful as he studied Teri, watching his movements.

"I agree m'Lord." Matthew looked over at Damien. "Perhaps, if you can find whatever is not right about him, you can exploit it to take tournament champion."

Damien looked at Matthew sharply. "Do not mistake me for the type of man my father is Matthew. If I discover anything about Sir Teri Thatcher, I will use it to my advantage, but I will NOT use it to cheat my way to the top. If I win, it is to be purely because I am the better Knight, and I will prove that I am before the tournament season ends."

* * *

_A/N: And thus chapter 2 was finished! See, I actually updated earlier than a month! Aren't you all so proud of me? The next chapter I think anyways will be the one which throws a twist into things, so hopefully it will be done soon! Thanks to Relaen and rufusfan for your reviews of chapter 1!_


	4. Chapter 3

Teri and Geoff had decided, after a long discussion, that it would be in their best interest to skip banquet and start on the road to the next tournament that afternoon. Geoff knew of a much less traveled road, and though it would take an extra day, they would make it to the tournament grounds on time, as well as hopefully avoid contact with other knights. Plus, he knew of a rather quaint spot which had a stream running through the forest, something he knew Teri would be very pleased to see. She had been moaning about not being able to have a bath for several days now.

When they finished packing up their gear, they slipped away amidst the business, fortunately not being noticed by many. Everyone was too busy preparing for banquet to take notice of the small 'boy' and his herald. Teri did notice however, that Damien was nowhere to be seen through the grounds as they passed. _'Probably prepping in town for the banquet, trying to make an impressive entrance,'_ she thought with a snicker as they exited through the gates.

Geoff led the way, telling her tales that her father had 'forgotten' to tell her about their days on the road. Like how absolutely smitten father had been with mother, so much so that he would lie awake at night, sighing about her and keeping Roland awake.

"Father never told me that," Teri said with a laugh.

"Of course he didn't" Geoff chuckled, "What man in his right mind would admit he had been that smitten about a woman?"

The road became a smaller path through the hillsides, long green grass and Queen's Lace flowers covering the ground. The road had many more stones and bumps on it than the main road, but Teri didn't mind, she was too busy admiring the scenery. Very quickly the landscape became covered with more and more trees, until they entered a thick green forest. Teri was grateful for the cool shade that passed over them as they walked through the trees, listening to the birds chirp cheerfully. A familiar bubbling and gurgling sound came to her ears, and she paused.

"Do I hear what I think I hear?"

Geoff nodded. "There's a stream not too far ahead, with a nice open area we could camp for the night."

"I could kiss you right now!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around Geoff.

"Woah, I'm a married man don't forget."

Teri shook her head slowly and flashed him a crooked grin. "Why'd you have to go and spoil the moment like that?" With a mock pout she turned and began to walk quickly forward. "So where is this spot?"

Several minutes later, they were standing in a small clearing about fifty feet off the road. It was a small circle, surrounded by trees and bushes, except for the side which led down to the stream. After tying Silverblaze to a tree near a nice and grassy spot, Teri pulled a cloak out of one of her packs and walked towards the stream.

"I'm going to go and bathe now Geoff," she called over her shoulder. "Keep watch, but don't let me catch you peeking."

"You make me out to sound like a pedophile," he muttered in response.

Once Teri reached the pond, she draped her cloak over a nearby rock and began to undress. It felt nice to get out of her sweaty clothes, and even nicer as she unraveled the binding around her chest. She stretched out a little to get the stiffness out of her body, then took off her pants and boots and walked over to the water. She dipped her toe in to test the temperature, and much to her surprise, found that it was fairly warm. She waded in quickly, splashing water over her body as she went. It was cool and refreshing to her skin, and the middle of the pond was at least 5 feet deep, so it covered the majority of her body. The water was clear, and she amused herself by diving after fish and other water creatures, watching them rush away at the approach of a giant looming threat.

It was a good half hour before she finally came out of the water; her toes and fingers all wrinkly from far too much exposure to water. As she reached for her cloak, a twig snapped just behind the bushes on the other side of the stream. She dove behind the rock and pulled the cloak around her body, ignoring the fact that if it was a person hiding, they would have already seen her naked.

"Geoff, is that you?" she asked softly, leaning around to get a better view. The figure of a person could be seen behind the bush, but they made no response. "Whoever you are," she said slightly louder, "I warn you, I am trained in many different ways of combat, so if you are thinking of abducting me, you might want to rethink that idea."

Still the person made no movement.

A cold shiver ran up Teri's spine, but she brushed off the feeling of fear quickly. "If you don't show yourself this instant, I will be forced to come over there and deal with you myself."

A very familiar snicker came from the person as they slowly stood to their feet. Teri gasped in surprise at the scraggly black hair, and tan muscular man that now emerged from the bushes. "Shyte," she murmered. Pulling the cloak tighter around her body, she stood to her feet. "Pervert!" she growled.

"So you're a woman…" Damien smirked cockily. "I thought something was off about you."

The sound of footsteps came towards the slope above the stream on Teri's side and Geoff's voice followed. "Teri is everything all—" he stopped mid-sentence as he saw Damien standing there. "Shyte."

Damien's smirk widened as he made his way over to some stones that created a small bridge across the water. Hopping onto them, he walked over to Teri. "I should have expected a stunt like this from the Thatcher family."

Teri sneered up at him. "Let me guess, now you're going to expose me to get me out of the tournament so that you can be tournament champion right? Sort of the whole 'like father, like son' type idea?"

Damien sneered back. "Do not accuse me of being like my father. My father is a cheat. I am not." His sneer faded back to his usual cocky grin. "I will however use this to my advantage." He began to circle around Teri, looking her up and down.

Geoff watched in silence, not sure of anything he could say to save Teri from whatever fate may await her at this moment. Teri too, remained silent as Damien spoke. She could feel her face turn crimson as Damien circled around her.

"I will lay out the conditions for you. I do not wish to turn you in, however if you fail to comply with my conditions, I will do so." He stopped when he was directly in front of her. "Option one: I allow you to continue on in the tournament. However, you will work for me whenever you are not practicing or in the arena. Anything which I feel I do not want to do, you will do. I will basically be your master until Tournament ends, and the winner is decided."

Teri glared icily at him, hating him more by the moment. It was evident he intended to make her life a living hell as long as she stayed at tournament.

"Option two: You withdraw from Tournament and go home, and I still stay silent about this."

Teri raised an eyebrow. He had to know she would never withdraw from Tournament as long as she still had the option.

"And Option three: you refuse both my offers, and I turn you in."

"I guess you give me no choice then," she replied coldly. "I'll take option one. It's the only real option you have given me, though it's not a very reasonable one."

He gave her a satisfied smirk and turned so he was facing both Geoff and Teri. He would have fun with this one, he knew it. "Good. Then I expect to see the two of you over at my camp first thing in the morning. I will need you to pack my things and load up my horse. Have a good night." He turned and left, the setting sun casting a reddish orange glow on him, illuminating the evilness Teri was sure must be radiating off of him.

She clenched her fists in anger, and when he had disappeared out of site, picked up her clothes and looked at Geoff. "I'm going to get dressed. I'll see you in a few minutes."

Geoff sighed and walked back to their camp after Teri had disappeared into the woods. It was getting darker, so he started a fire and pulled out some of the food he had gathered before they left Rouen. Life was going to be rather difficult, and though he would try his best to convince her to leave Tournament, he knew that she, like her father, would have to be dragged out of the arena and locked up before she would leave.

By the time she returned to the camp it was already dark and the fire was burning high. Geoff watched her with a curious expression. Her face was framed in frustration, and she continually clenched and unclenched her fists in anger.

"You know, your father wouldn't be upset if you went home Teri," he said softly, "he'd understand."

"I'm not staying because of my father," she replied, "I'm staying for me. And to prove to Damien that he can twist me however he wants, but I will still reign over him as champion." She stared determinedly into the fire for a moment, then stood and walked over to the packs. After rummaging around for a moment, she pulled out a large blanket and went back to the fire. "I'm going to sleep. I'll see you in the morning."

Geoff sighed and watched as she quickly dozed off before pulling out his own blanket, dousing out the fire, and following suite.

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_A/N: Another lengthy interval between updates, which I apologize greatly for. Between work, prepping for school, trying to see all my friends before moving, and starting to pack, I have not had much free time on my hands. But here is the long-awaited update. Hope you enjoyed it!_

_**Relaen – Yes, I am proud! Except, you never read the update of chapter 2! You jerk! I'm just kidding though! It's always an honour when you read my stories! Thanks for the praising review though! And of course Chaucer is in it. It wouldn't be a story without Chaucer. I had toyed with the idea of having a kid that belongs to Watt in the story, but it was too hard to work him/her into the plot. **_

_**Rufusfan – As requested, the update! Yay!**_

_**Marisa – YAY! A Marisa review! The joust scene was most definitely difficult to write, but I accomplished it somehow. **_

_**Padewan CarrCarr – So you liked Geoff's speech then? That's good because I put a lot of effort into it. And I wrote the Damien description with you in mind my dearest Padewan, just to let you have some free drooling time. I knew you would enjoy it.NOW HURRY AND WORK ON THE FY FICC! **_

**_Seed-of-flame – Thanks for the review! It's great to see my attempt at humour is at least amusing someone! Looking forward to future reviews from you _**

_**Shego Madora – I figured there isn't enough 'girl becomes knight' stories out there, so thought it was time to do my own. I too hope this story gets better. It's one of my favourite stories out of the ones I'm writing.**_

_**ViloetAshkevron – Shhhh! Don't spoil it for the rest of the readers! I was surprised at how easy it was to write Geoff fairly close to how he is in the movie. He's a great character, but he's also very readable, so it's easy to write him into a story. Thanks for the review!**_


	5. Chapter 4

Teri woke the next morning shortly before dawn, and after noting that Geoff was still asleep, used the opportunity to get some exercise done. She began by stretching, then decided to go for a short jog. Before long she found herself crouched just outside of Damien's camp, watching as he and Matthew began to cook breakfast and talk. They were arguing it seemed, and Teri had to strain her ears quite a bit to catch it.

"I will not inform father or anyone of her disguise Matthew. I do not intend to cheat as my father did," Damien said angrily.

"But sir, she's the one cheating," Matthew protested. "Women are not to be in the joust."

"And neither were peasants. But Thatcher proved himself. And his daughter has already proven herself as well. In order to be a true champion, I must defeat her the fair way." He shot Matthew a menacing glare. "And if I find out that you informed my father of her identity, or anyone else for that matter, I will ensure that you never work for another prestigious knight again."

The two men sat glaring at one another for a moment before Matthew lowered his head and looked away.

Teri remained crouched in her hiding spot for a moment, her expression thoughtful. She was really quite unsure what to think of the younger Adhemar. At times, he was an arrogant jerk, behaving no better than his father. But at others, he was honourable, a virtue which his father had never seemed to carry. _'Then again'_ she mused, '_the only reason his honour is in tact here is because he wants to beat me.'_ Satisfied with her quick rationalization, she slipped away, and returned to her own encampment.

Geoff was already up and making a small breakfast when she returned. "Good morning," he greeted her cheerfully.

"What are you so cheerful about?" she grumbled, as she made her way to her belongings and began to pack them up.

"Nothing really," Geoff replied. "But I figure since cheerfulness will no longer be a regular ingredient to our day, we might as well at least try to make the best of things."

Teri rolled her eyes. "Great rationale Geoff. I'm sure I'll have no problem being cheerful when he forces me to labour for hours on end for him because I just wiped his face in the dirt once again."

"You know, it's not too late to back out."

Teri shook her head. "I can't Geoff. I came out here to prove that I am the best, to prove that I deserve the title of a Knight. I'm not going to suddenly give up that dream just because some jackass is trying to get in the way."

"Well, at least come over here and eat some breakfast then. We have a long day ahead of us."

After breakfast, they packed up camp and headed over to Damien's camp. It was nearly midday before they were on the road again, much to both Teri and Geoff's disappointment. Damien and Matthew had sat around and watched while Damien ordered Teri to pack every last item before allowing Teri and Geoff to leave on their own path.

Teri was pleased that Damien felt traveling together would look too suspicious, and enjoyed each minute away from him to the best of her ability. The weather that day was better than they could have asked for; sunny, with a fairly moderate temperature. Not too cold, but not too warm. Perfect for traveling.

It was late evening when they arrived at the tournament grounds in Lagny-Sur-Marne, and most of the good sites had already been claimed.

"Stupid Adhemar," Teri muttered as she pulled one of her packs off of Silverblaze. "We would have been here at a bloody decent time were it not for his lack of gentlemanly qualities."

Geoff sighed. "It was you who decided not to back out of the tournament remember."

"I know. But he still could be less of a wanker about it."

"He's an Adhemar, what do you expect?"

With a roll of her eyes, Teri began to set up their tents.

There was no sign of Damien that night, and they took that opportunity to catch up on rest, knowing that their sleeps would be far and few between once the actual tournament got going.

For Teri at least, that prediction came true. Damien refused to allow Geoff to help her, and used whatever excuse he could to force Teri to labour for him. By mid-week he had already had her do everything from cooking and cleaning his clothing, to polishing his armour. He made the armour polishing a daily task, forcing her to work on it until he could see his own reflection. Though she was tiring quickly, Teri made it a point to never let Damien see the toll the constant work was taking on her. She would die before ever giving him the satisfaction of that. Instead she used her frustrations to fuel her on in the joust, becoming more than an unstoppable force in the arena.

The day before they would face each other once again to determine the victor, Damien found himself watching Teri, instead of practicing. Today he had ordered her to wash his clothes, and was standing in the shadows of the trees as she scrubbed them down by the river. She was scrubbing at the mud and grime ferociously, her expression showing her anger.

She was unaware of Damien's presence, and did not hesitate to allow a colourful stream of words to flow from her mouth as she worked.

Damien raised an eyebrow in amusement. Was this what she was like when she wasn't under his watchful eye? He watched her throw a shirt to the side in frustration, then bring her hands up to her head as she rested a moment. Her shoulders heaved with her heavy breathing, and for a moment, she looked like a fragile young girl instead of the bold and relentless warrior she had tried so hard to convince him she was. As she did this, Damien looked away, his look of amusement faded to one of worry. Was he pushing her too far? When he looked back however, all the previous signs of weariness were gone, and he had to wonder if he had imagined her weariness.

'_Of course I did,'_ he reassured himself, _'She's no fragile woman… she's a devil in disguise, here to torment me.'_ Then, a smug grin spreading across his face, he walked down toward the working woman. "I hope you're planning on rewashing that shirt before hanging it to dry. I wouldn't want you to have to rewash all my clothes later."

Teri spun to face him, a cold glare plastered across her face. "One would think you would have much more important things to do with your time than watch me wash your clothes, Adhemar."

Damien shrugged. "I prefer to make sure things are being done properly. Of course, coming from a household such as your own, I have no doubt you were babied by that want-to-be noble father of yours." He regretted having said that the moment the words slid from his mouth.

Teri's eyes narrowed into an even darker glare as she stood to face him, and her tone turned icy as she spoke. "My father is more noble than yours will ever be Adhemar," she hissed. "While my father may not have been born into a noble lineage, he worked to earn it. Being noble is not about bloodline, it is about your actions. Your father has not ever, nor will he ever, be a true noble." She threw the shirt she had been washing down into the sand, and began to storm past Damien.

Damien grabbed her by the wrist, his own expression now reflecting one of anger. "Where do you think you're going?"

"To prepare for my joust. Finish your own clothes this time Adhemar."

They stood glaring at one another for a moment as Damien's grip tightened on her wrist. With a frustrated sigh, he released her and dropped his hand to his side, watching as she stormed off. Her final comments stung, but what hurt the most about them was that he knew they were true.

He wasn't quite sure what had made him bring her father into this, other than some unknown desire to infuriate her. Why he felt the need to push her away so much, he didn't quite know either. Every time he was around her, it was almost as if he needed to give himself reason to hate her, and to want to make her life miserable. Part of him knew deep down inside what the answer was, but he couldn't face it; didn't want to face it. The idea terrified him, and so he was much happier allowing himself to simply believe that she was nothing more than a spoiled wench.

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**A/N: Sorry for taking so long to update! Wow has it been a busy several months. I officially love college, but boy can it be stressful. Hope you all enjoy this chapter! It's going to take a while for me to get used to the new review response feature, so I promise I will try to reply to all your reviews, but forgive me if it takes awhile!**


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